SMOKY
SKIES
Northern
California Fire Fallout
By
Cal Orey
In the August issue of Oracle 20-20, my article
“Western Wildfires…on the Rise” forecast came true. I sensed my town of Lake
Tahoe could be next in line—and in a round-about way—it was affected. In
mid-August, the sierras were surrounded by wildfires (more than one) burning
out of control in Northern California. Here, is my up close and personal first-person
account of what it’s like to cope with the fallout of being in the middle of multiple
wildfires and surviving the eerie fallout.
The
Rim Fire, Burning by Yosemite National Park
The wildfire ignited August 17 (caused by man), and
spread to more than 180,000 acres. Smoke rising from the Rim Fire, had moved into
the Lake Tahoe basin and surrounding regions, causing air quality to go
south—affecting the health of people and pets of all ages.
Worse, as time passed, the Lake Tahoe area was tagged
by authorities including NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
and the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District.as “unhealthy for
sensitive groups” to “unhealthy”! What’s more, areas in Nevada, including
Carson City and Reno were facing “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” conditions. It was a time of uncertainty, a time of
caution.
Smoke
Ups Health Risks
As each hour and day passed, I watched in disbelief
and past wildfire images hit my mind. This was like the 2007 Angora Fire—which I
evacuated to Reno, fleeing the drama of helicopters, evacuation phone calls, dark
skies, and falling ash. This time around, the gray air was spreading throughout
Northern California and Northern Nevada. There was nowhere to run and hide.
I found myself scrutinizing reports of South Lake
Tahoe’s Barton Memorial Hospital. It was unsettling. Officials were getting
flooded with respiratory complaints and numbers of emergency-room patients
soared. We were told by NOAA warning
advisories for people and pets to stay indoors, shut the windows, cease
physical activities, and drink water to prevent hydration.
At first, I was affected by not being able to enjoy
keeping my windows open (it was the warm summer), and taking my two active dogs
for long walks. The pool where I swim was closed due to the unsafe air quality.
People were wearing masks at stores—it made me think of SARS in Asia and the
film “Contagion”. In fact, one night I couldn’t
sleep—I was busy plotting my evacuation. But note, I’d have to drive as far as
Half Moon Bay on the coast to be able to get genuine fresh air like our
mountains usually has plenty of for locals and tourists.
Sure, I am a senior, but I am healthy. I do not have
heart disease, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But being
advised to stay indoors was making me feel anxious, isolated, and trapped.
Looking up at the sky at dusk to see a reddish sun with ash falling down on our
trees, vehicles and to see a red moon late at night without stars was like a
freaky nightmare—like the aftermath of a nuclear war.
By late August, some physical symptoms hit me. I was
coughing, sneezing, endured a headache, and developed a sore throat. The cable guy
told me every afternoon he was feeling lightheaded and ill. And, I received phone calls from my sibling on the Nevada side that the smoke quality looked worse
than on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. He sent me chilling, eye-opening pictures via e-mail that
were surreal looking. But that’s not all…
Long-Term
Dangers of Wildfire Ash
Experts said ash falling into the lake can
cause problems but we will not know until next year of the entire damage. Some
wildlife is affected, too but the long-term effects on humans and their pets
are unknown.
In a poll created by the Tahoe Daily Tribune,
residents showed more concern for their family’s health than not being able to
play outdoors.This fact, in itself, made me feel like I was hardly alone—I was
one of countless people concerned about the fallout that surrounded us from the
fires that burned and affected our environment and health.
I dished reports via social networking, from my own
experience. In one post I wrote: “It's like we're in off season. The store was dead
tonight! I crave swimming, long dog
walks, clean air, and open windows.” And yes, the surreal nature of smoky skies
brought back memories of the Oakland Firestorm—a horrific event where people
and their pets died because there was only one road out and firefighters could not get in to rescue victims.
On September 1, the Rim Fire was more than one third
contained. The day before, while tourists were less than more for the Labor Day
Weekend, at times I could see the mountains across the Lake, I took the dogs
for a longer walk, and I saw kids swimming in the water and adults on bicycles.
But then, in the morning hazy skies returned. The NOAA advisories noted there
would be waxing and waning of the air quality until the fire was contained,
estimated September 20.
 |
| Fallen Leaf Lake...I can see clearly now...in the fall. |
So, this fire, one of the largest in California
history, will not be forgotten, nor the last one. As global warming continues,
the air remains dry and we get less precipitation, wildfires, say experts, may
burn longer and may be worse in the years to come. But as I cope with the
fallout from this wildfire of 2013, I will never take fresh air for granted. It’s a precious thing that we need to survive.
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Pantry Clean-up: Last week on a chilly afternoon, I did it. I spent hours cleaning out the pantry. I'm talking honey, honey, honey. I know that nature's nectar boasts a long shelf life but once opened I think, "When in doubt, toss out." And the olive oils? Ditto. There's only so much I can use in a year or two. On the upside: The pantry is re-stocked with amazing treasures that I'm writing about for The Healing Powers of Olive Oil, Revised and Updated, due in January 2014. And so, my body, mind, and spirit is in Olive Oil Land.
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